I am SO glad I finally got around to read it!! A solid 4 STAR that I would recommend to anyone who loves a thriller mixed with a little witchy action and even some ROMANCE gasp I know…I read a book with ROMANCE!

I loved everything about this book. The vibes and the atmosphere were bleak yet beautiful. Learning about the lore behind the Bane Witches and their powers was fascinating and a nice touch. I feel like some writers may not have chosen to go as far back in the history of the Bane Witch but it definitely added more to the story. Especially because one of the main things our FMC is realizing is how things have changed through the generations.

Their powers are remarkable, humbling and so important and I really wish they were real. Our society would probably be a better place!

This was a true testament to the idea that “just because it’s how we’ve always done it doesn’t mean it’s what’s best”.

I finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up: A Bane Witch.

It was good but wasn’t my favourite read. The storyline was interesting but very slow paced with some unnecessary information.

This was a wild ride when I was able to get into it! I didn't know what to expect going in but once it got going, it wasn't so bad. I struggled in the beginning and sometimes getting back into the book was hard, I kept putting it down, but I enjoyed most of the elements that were at play. I enjoy a dark fiction book, be it fantasy, academia, etc and that scratched the itch and the suspense worked mostly, so the surprises were nice for me. Overall, it was an okay read. If you like dark witchy vibes with revenge and murder and suspense, this might be for you!

The Bane Witch is the kind of book that feels like it was written for girls who collect antique apothecary bottles, drink their coffee black, and have a deeply specific Spotify playlist titled "revenge, but make it romantic". Ava Morgyn has crafted a haunting, atmospheric novel that reads like folklore with blood under its fingernails... a modern witch tale soaked in poison and power.

There’s something oddly comforting about a book that fully leans into its darkness, and The Bane Witch does exactly that. It’s quiet and eerie, but also sharp and weirdly empowering in the way only stories about vengeful witches and generational curses can be.

Piers Corbin is one of those characters who feels like she’s already lived nine lives before the first chapter even starts. She’s been through things most people wouldn’t talk about out loud, and her past is soaked in poison... literally and emotionally. After faking her death to get away from her violent husband, she ends up in the mountains with a great aunt she barely knows and starts discovering the truth about herself and her family: she comes from a long line of Bane Witches. Women who eat poison. Women who kill the kinds of men who think no one ever will.

What really struck me is how grounded the story feels, even with all the magic. The world is soft around the edges but never safe, which works so well for a story about surviving and then deciding not to just survive anymore.

Piers is complicated in a way that doesn’t ask for sympathy. She’s tired. She’s angry. And once she finds her power, she stops trying to play nice about it. Her journey isn’t about healing, exactly... it’s more about reclaiming what she was always meant to be. And there’s something really powerful in that.

The writing is lyrical without being flowery, with these lines that sneak up on you and just stay there. It’s the kind of book that feels like it was written during a thunderstorm, next to a candle that smells like crushed violets and old paper.

It’s not a loud story, but it is a haunting one. If you like books that feel like walking alone through a forest and not being sure if the thing behind you is danger or destiny, this one’s worth your time.

Final thoughts: quietly devastating, beautifully strange, and exactly the right amount of poisonous.

I loved every page.

An original concept based on old tales, fear, and fantasy. A gripping narrative and satisfying conclusion. This was one of the most interesting stories I've read this year.

Thank you Netgalley and SMP for the ARC!

The Bane Witch is the perfect blend of thriller and fantasy. Morgyn weaves a story of a woman learning to stand up for herself, embrace her destiny, and make change happen. But also, she continues to attract monsters who won't leave her alone.

Each character in this story is well thought out and done. Even the good men in this story are still filled with male ego, and don't see the forest for the trees. I loved the character of Myrtle and Piers, each one with their own interests and history that leads to them to do what they do.

I want to read more books sit in this world, and learn more about Bane Witches. What about the one from Brazil? AHH it was just so good, I need a second book.

I adored this book. I loved the characters and the character growth throughout the book. I loved discovering the protagonist’s secrets with her and uncovering the mysteries of the book. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery, strong female characters, and a touch of magic.

“We don’t fear men in this house… Men fear us.”

Poisonous witch assassins? Um heck yeah. Do not be deceived by this cover, this is not a cozy fantasy, this is DARK.

This story follows a woman fleeing her abusive husband; but there is a lot to uncover about herself and what she is along the way. This book brought out my feminine rage, because it sheds light on what many women face in our world. The Bane Witch covers some very dark topics, but ultimately felt like a story to help empower women.

This was a fairly easy read that I made it through in a single sitting. It's not exactly fun as it is quite dark at times, but overall this was a brain-off sort of read which is what I needed right now. I think some of the sex scenes were a bit odd in how they were written, but I usually overlook that sort of stuff in a lot of books. Watching women kill bad men is one of my favorite things in books, so this was right up my alley! I really enjoyed it, thank you so much for an ARC.

Thank you so much Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and St. Martin's Griffen. I truly do appreciate it so much.

Piers Corbin has always had an affinity for poisonous for two things, plants and men. She consumed pokeweed berries when she was just five years old, that led to the accidental death of a stranger, it then led to a husband who dark have become concerning. Poison has always been at the heart of her story. When she fakes her own death in order to escape her marriage and then she goes to stay with her estranged great aunt in the mountains, she soon realizes it's more than hunger, it's a birthright. Piers come from a long line of people that eat poisonous plants. They are called Bane Witches, witches who eat poisonous plants and use their magic to get rid of the evil men in the world. During the time of living with her great aunt she attracts the attention of someone else. A serial killer operating in the area.

I finished this book which is a good sign, I just don't think that I liked this book. The cover of this book is absolutely stunning I love the colours, and the illustration's on it. I would say that this book is more fantasy than anything, it has the murder mystery aspect but it was kind of in the background. This book gave cozy vibes, but it just wasn't interesting to me. The book felt slow, I felt like this was going at a snail's pace. I wanted to DNF this book, I probably could have guessed the ending but I wanted to be able to get to the ending. I did love the feminism in this book, and how powerful the women were. There were no trigger warning with this book, I am hoping that when the book is published that their will be some trigger warnings so that no one is taken by surprise. I just didn't enjoy this book, as much as I thought it would.

Happy Reading!!!!

I enjoyed how powerful women were and all of the different feminist critique that could be found throughout the book, However, the writing was not for me.

The Bane Witch
By: Ava Morgyn
3 stars

What an interesting read! I haven’t read this author before and was intrigued by the pretty cover and synopsis. This story drew me in immediately as we meet our main character, Piers, who fakes her own death to escape her abusive husband. Along the way we learn that Piers is apart of a witch family known as Bane Witches that has the ability to eat poisonous plants with no impact on their health and use the plants poison to eliminate dangerous and violent men. Seeking guidance and familial support, Piers is told she will be accepted into the family if she proves herself by tracking down and killing a serial killer than haas been circling the adirondacks.

What I loved was that this book started in the south and worked its way up to Upstate New York! Piers even stopped at Syracuse and notably the famous Oakwood Cemetery & walked around Syracuse University campus before catching a bus from our transportation center and heading up to the Adirondack’s! As someone who grew up here, it’s always so wild to see my city in a book!

While I really liked this book and was invested in figuring out how it would end, there was so much build up for an unsatisfying climax. There also a part where Piers eats mushrooms and has been told she cannot touch/kiss a man for a period of time or else she could accidentally kill them only for her to shortly afterwards go over and make out with her lover/the towns sheriff. I was asking myself…are we trying to kill him? Only for nothing to happen. There was also some “psychic” gifts she was given as part of her powers where she’d get flashes of information from an object/the surrounding area that played an important role in her tracking down the serial killer that was never fully explained to the reader how or why that was possible.

It was definitely a unique twists on a traditional witch story that had plenty of twists and suspenseful thrills. I love a group of women who take out bad men and this will keep you flipping the page to learn what’s going to happen next!

First and foremost, thanks so much to the publisher St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this thrilling piece in exchange for my honest review. From the start of this book it pulls you in, you are kept wanting to know and learn more. I find that the story is truly captivating with it being mystery, thriller, and fantasy. Also, who doesn’t love witches?! Piers’ journey is of a woman trying to find herself, who she really is, and who she wants to be… but with a twist. If you love witchy fiction with a strong female main character, this books is for you!

Check your trigger warnings before diving into this one, there are some scenes with domestic violence. Protect your mental health before anything :)

I enjoyed this book overall. I mean, we love a strong female lead. Then you have a strong female lead who can ingest deadly plants with no effects to hunt evil men? YES PLEASE. What a unique concept for us reader who get tired of the same cookie-cutter fantasy/romantasy stories we see over and over.

𝒮𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓂𝒾𝓁𝑒𝓈 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝑜𝒻𝓉 𝓁𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉. “𝒲𝑒 𝒹𝑜𝓃’𝓉 𝒻𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝓂𝑒𝓃 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓈𝑒,” 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝑒𝓁𝓁𝓈 𝓂𝑒. “𝑀𝑒𝓃 𝒻𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝓊𝓈.”

If you love a book that channels feminine rage in a dark fantasy setting, then you will love this one.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martian's Press for the ARC.

I loved this book! The premise of this book is a woman who finds out she is not an ordinary person but a hunter of bad men. I liked how Piers slowly came to discover the truth with the help of her Aunt Myrtle. I liked that she struggled with the ethics a little bit. But this was an excellant and on the edge of your seat book.

Bane Witch was...an interesting read. It has some heavy themes - murder, abuse, faked suicide, mercy killings.....definitely one to check the trigger warnings for. I liked the world building this did - the idea of a line of witches who ingest poison in order to remove evildoers from the world is unique, and I think was well done. I did not, however, really like Piers. I felt she was whiny and very 'woe is me' throughout the whole book, and her lack of education about her gift isn't really an excuse. There were quite a few dicy circumstances that could have been avoided, if Piers hadn't been feeling like the victim.

All in all, I enjoyed the story for what it was and if you enjoyed books like Gone Girl, you would probably enjoy this read.

Wow! Is there anything more empowering than girl power and family? In The Bane Witch, by Ava Morgan, you'll find that and more in this unputdownable, engrossing read. It's all about women looking out for the safety of other women and their little piece of world, over all. These ladies are not playing around! There's plenty of suspense & a bit of romance thrown in the mix as well.

I’ve never read a witchy psychological thriller before, but apparently that’s a thing I’ve been missing out on—because The Bane Witch absolutely delivered.

The magic system felt completely new to me, which is rare and honestly kind of thrilling. I’ve read a lot of witch books, and this one still managed to surprise me. The vibe is dark, haunting, and full of that slow, creeping dread I love in thrillers, but it’s also a story about trauma, survival, and reclaiming power.

Piers’ arc hit me in the gut. Watching her unlearn all the ways she made herself small to survive her abusive marriage—and then choose herself, her voice, her magic? Ugh. Yes. Give me more of that. There are some truly garbage men in this story (seriously, one walking red flag after another), but somehow Regis managed to be a soft place to land. He sees her. He believes her. He lets her lead. I didn’t expect to root for him, but here we are.

Also? Aunt Myrtle is a badass and I wanted way more page time with her.

Creepy, cathartic, and beautifully strange. Big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC—this one definitely cast a spell on me.

The Bane Witch is a dark, twisty tale of survival, female power, and the kind of magic that doesn’t ask for permission. From the very first chapter, Piers is a character who commands attention. She’s always been different—eating poisonous berries as a child and living to tell the tale—and that difference becomes a source of strength as she fakes her own death to escape a deeply abusive marriage and vanishes into a new life.

This is not a light or easy read. The book delves into heavy topics—assault, sexual trauma, suicidal ideation—and does so with sensitivity, never shying away from the pain but also never letting it define the main character entirely. What stood out to me most was Piers’ transformation. Despite her harrowing past, she grows into a resilient woman who fully embraces the strange and powerful gifts she’s carried all along.

The magic system is one of my favorite elements—earthy, eerie, and rooted in ancient female power. There’s a wildness to it that fits the tone of the story perfectly. I was also fully invested in the serial killer mystery woven throughout the narrative. It added an extra layer of suspense that kept me flipping pages late into the night.

This book has a great premise, and while some moments felt emotionally intense (and might be difficult for sensitive readers), the overall story is compelling and empowering. If you like your witchy reads on the darker side with a fierce woman reclaiming her voice and power, The Bane Witch is absolutely worth your time.

Piers Corbin has always felt the need to ingest poisonous plants that should kill her. She does not know that she comes from a long line of Bane Witches. These women purposely ingest deadly plants and use their magic to get rid of evil men. Piers has already escaped a bad marriage by faking her death and gone to live with her Aunt Myrtle.

Now, she has to learn about her unique magic and how to control it. When she finds a serial killer in the area, she has to find a way to get rid of him without causing suspicion with the local sheriff. She also has to ensure that her husband never finds out that she is alive.

Trigger Warnings

Rape, physical abuse, emotional abuse

Why Jackie loves it

This was darker than I thought it would be but gave me satisfaction that these strong women didn't take crap from anyone. I liked the fantasy element and the relationship between the flawed characters.